Upper Zone, in front of the entrance.
Just as Liang Jing and Lei Bao were struck dumb by the sight of the Upper Zone, Shi Feng, who had been quietly waiting off to the side, walked over.
"So? The Upper Zone isn't quite what you expected, is it?" Shi Feng looked at the pair and smiled faintly.
The expressions and feelings on their faces were practically identical to his own the first time he had come here. The only difference was that the true Upper Zone wasn't inside the area enclosed by steel walls — it was underground.
"Guild Leader, what's it really like inside the Upper Zone?" Liang Jing couldn't help but ask, looking at Shi Feng. "Is it really as amazing as the rumors say?"
The Upper Zone had always been the subject of all kinds of rumors on the outside. Even though it was located right within the city, and no one was barred from entering, the Upper Zone was treated like some sort of taboo. Everyone had heard of it, but no outsider truly understood what it was like.
In fact, there wasn't a single report about the Upper Zone anywhere in the entire world. Almost everything people knew came from hearsay and speculation.
As Liang Jing asked her question, Lei Bao, standing beside her, pricked up his ears as well.
A place like the Upper Zone was something he had never even dared to dream of. Even the world champion of the fighting circuit couldn't find a way in, let alone anyone else.
"It really is amazing," Shi Feng said with a smile. "Even more astonishing than the rumors. The people inside — even if they don't train their bodies much, their physical strength is constantly improving."
"So that rumor about world champions being considered nothing inside the Upper Zone — is that actually true?" Lei Bao couldn't help but ask the moment he heard this.
A place where your physical fitness was constantly improving without effort — that was absolutely incredible. It practically shattered everything he believed about training.
"It's a bit exaggerated, but not by much," Shi Feng said without holding back. "Inside, even without any training, your physical fitness can eventually rival that of a Body Refinement Grandmaster. And if you go through systematic training, your strength becomes even more terrifying."
"It's really that incredible?" Lei Bao was stunned speechless.
He had worked his way to his current level through countless hours of grueling training, yet inside the Upper Zone, you could reach the same level effortlessly without any training at all? If word of that got out, who would believe it?
But he knew Shi Feng wasn't lying to him. If anything, the reality was even more shocking than the rumors.
For a moment, Lei Bao was overcome with the feeling that he had wasted his life — that all of his previous efforts had been nothing but a joke.
"Master Lei Bao, there's no need to be discouraged," Shi Feng said calmly, noticing the sudden look of dejection and bewilderment on the man's face. "Our Zero Wing Guild will also be developing within the Upper Zone in the future. When that time comes, it won't just be me and Bai Qingxue, Seastone Rose, and the others coming in. I'll bring in many more people — just like those world-class megacorporations that treat the Upper Zone as their headquarters."
Though Shi Feng's words were delivered in a measured tone and at a modest volume, both Lei Bao and Liang Jing couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath, their eyes shining with a mix of anticipation and excitement.
If anyone else had said something like that, they would have dismissed it as a joke.
But they both knew that Shi Feng was someone who constantly defied the impossible. He had single-handedly built Zero Wing into its current scale and never made a move without certainty. The fact that he could say something like this now meant he had a real plan to make it happen.
"Zero Wing will really be able to develop inside the Upper Zone in the future?" Liang Jing gazed at the towering steel walls in the distance, her heart surging with excitement.
If they could truly pull that off, then Zero Wing would be extraordinary beyond measure. Every so-called superpower would become a laughingstock.
Lei Bao clenched his fists slightly, and a spark of hope and longing stirred within him. He felt more certain than ever that choosing to join Zero Wing had been the wisest decision of his life.
"Here are three Enhancement Potions. Liang Jing, take two of them and deliver them to Blazing Dance and Ziyan Liuyun." Shi Feng produced three bottles of Enhancement Potions, handed two to Liang Jing, and then turned his gaze to Lei Bao beside him. "Master Lei Bao, you take one as well. With this Enhancement Potion, I believe you'll be able to push even further."
Blazing Dance and Ziyan Liuyun had always been diligent in their training, and both possessed exceptional talent for physical development. Unfortunately, their progress had been painfully slow due to limited resources. Now, with the help of Enhancement Potions, their physical fitness would no longer be a bottleneck.
As for Master Lei Bao, his talent was far from weak either. The problem was that he had spent too long fighting solo, without any resources to speak of — relying solely on hard training. To break through to the next level through sheer brute effort alone was simply no longer possible.
Literature favored the poor, but martial arts demanded wealth!
Any real achievement required vast amounts of resources poured in.